File:Republic of Congo (MODIS 2019-04-06).jpg

English: Multiple fires speckled the fields and forests of western Central Africa in early April 2019. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of fires clustered in Republic of the Congo and Gabon on April 3.

Most of the active fires, which are marked by faint red marks ("hot spots"), cluster in the agricultural areas of Republic of the Congo west of the Congo River. The Congo River serves as a border between the Republic of the Congo (west) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (east). Gabon lies between the Republic of the Congo and the South Atlantic Ocean and most of the fires here cluster close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Smoke and haze hangs over the entire region and is especially heavy in the northeast, appearing to rise from fires which are hidden under clouds over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The silvery shimmer over the South Atlantic Ocean should not be confused as smoke or haze. It is a phenomena called “sunglint” – the mirror-like shine that occurs when light is reflected directly back at the sensors on the instrument.

The Global Forest Watch website reported the number of fires in each country from March 28 – April 4. In Gabon, 356 fire alerts were noted, most clustered along the border with Republic of Congo. 3,025 fire alerts were reported for Republic of the Congo, most in the center of the country with another concentration in the north. Democratic Republic of the Congo ticked 21,332 fire alerts in the same time period, mostly in the north and west of the country. This image also shows Equatorial Guinea (on the coast, north of Gabon) which registered 4 fire alerts, and southern Cameroon (far north in the image). There were 2,626 fire alerts in Cameroon.

The widespread nature of the fires and the time of year indicate that these fires have most likely been ignited and managed for agricultural purposes. Such practices are common throughout Central Africa. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.